The Furcal Follies

I read stuff like this . . .

Rafael Furcal might not be an Atlanta Brave just yet, much to the dismay of the Atlanta Braves.

Because while certain people in the organization were confirming Tuesday that, yes, the Braves had come to an agreement to bring their former shortstop back to Atlanta after three years in L.A., Furcal’s agents – Paul Kinzer and Arn Tellem – were still doing business with the Dodgers.

. . . and can’t help but wonder if these sorts of backs and forths have always happened with most deals. It’s just that now there are 539 outlets covering each deal, each of which has a monster incentive to get whatever whiff of anything they hear out in the open before the competition does.

Think about it: it’s very possible that, as you’re reading this, the Furcal matter has been settled and he is going to sign with either Atlanta or Los Angeles. Ten or 15 years ago, yesterday’s drama would have unfolded all the same, but would have gone mostly unreported. Maybe a quick blurb on the evening SportsCenter, but nothing else. Today or tomorrow the newspapers would have the story of the signing, with very little if any mention of the Atlanta-Los Angeles dynamic.

It’s just a news nugget, but one made bigger and more complicated by quick-to-press nature of things these days. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, I like it because it gives us something to talk about in the winter. It’s just something to keep in mind as you read stuff about all of the alleged intrigue surrounding Furcal’s signing.